Motor-vehicle.



J. W. DAVIS. MOTOR VEHICLE, APPLICATION FILED NOV 4, 1908. 928, 1 1 0. Patented July 13, 1909.

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MOTOR VEHICLE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 4, 1908. 923, 1 1 .Patented July 13, 1909.

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J. W. DAVIS. MOTOR VEHICLE. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 4, 190B.

Patented July 13, 1909. 3 QEHETB-SHEET 3.

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UNITED STATES, PATENT OFFICE.

JESSE WISMAN DAV-IS, or MIDDLETON, TENNESSEE, Assm oE or ONE-HALF To JOHN W.

MoINTYRE, or POOAHONTAS, TENNEssEE.

oron-V HICLE.

To all whom it may concern:

Be 1t known that I, JEssE WISMAN DAVIS,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Middleton, in the county of Hardeman and State of Tennessee, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Motor- Vehicles; and I do hereby declare the follow ing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertainsto make and use the same.

My invention relates to motor vehicles and partlcularly to the construction of the frame work, the steering gear and the driving mechanism.

It has for its object to produce a light car or runabout which is strong and durable and Another object isto provide an improved mechanism for steering the vehicle which accommodates itself to the independent vertical movement of the wheels upon the opposite ends of either axle.

A further object is to ermit of the turning of the outside whee on the front axle faster than the inside wheel in rounding curves, both of said wheels being driven by the same motor and at the samespoed.

Other objects of, the invention will become apparent from the following descri tion.

The invention consists in the eatures of construction and combinations of devices hereinafter described and specified in the claims. I

In the accompanying drawings illustrating the preferred embodiment of my invention: Figure 1 is a top plan view of the vehicle. Fig. 2 is'a side elevation. Fig. 3 is a rear elevation. Fi'. 4 is an under plan view. Fig. 5 is an e arged detailed sectional view through the so. porting tube for the steering shaft showing ow the hand Wheel is-adjustably secured to said shaft and how the sprocket wheel for engagement with the semi-circularsteering bar is mounted on the lower end of said shaft. detailed sectional view showing the connection of the reach of the main frame with the front axle. Fig. 7 'is an enlarged detailed sectional view of the gearon oneend of the driving shaft- Figs. 8- and 9 are enlarged detailed views of the gear itself and the ratchet disk used therewith. Fig.- 10 is an enlarged sectional view of one end of the Specification of'Letters latent.

Application filed November 4, 1908.. Serial No. 461,057.

Fig. 6 is. an enlarged .Eatented July 13, 1909.

' rear axle' showing how the wheel 5 indie is mounted in the end of the tube, anc Fig. 11 is a sectional Jview on the line :r.m of Fig. 1 showing the means for securing the brake shoe to the rear axle and the lever for operating said shoe.

In carrying out my invention, I construct the frame Work almost entirely of metal tubing. The main frame comprises the reach 1 which is ,connected to the middle of the rear axle 2. The seat,3 for the driver is mounted preferably upon tubular supports/l secured on the rear axle and the reach. The lat form 5 is secured to the hounds 6 an extends acrossthe reach front of the seat. Short upright tube sections 7 are arranged near the o posite ends of the rear axle for the purpose 0t holding the supports of a removable top (not shown).

. The front axle 8 is connected to the forward end of the reach so as to have vertical. as well as horizontal pivotal movement. As illustrated in Fig. 6, a vertical tube section 10 is arranged on the front axle and through it is passed a pivot pin 11. A forked horizontally pivoting device 12 has arms extending above and below said tube section 10 and over the opposite ends of the )in 11. Ball bearing nuts 13 are preferably interposed between the opposite ends oi the tube section 10 and the ends of the pivoting device 12. Said pivoting device is rigidly secured to a rcarwardly extending pm 14 which is fitted into the forward end of the reach. The latter has an outwardly projecting flange 15 at its end in the upper por-. tion of which a notch 16 is formed. The

pin 14 is rotatably secured in the end of the will be noted that the normal position of said tongue is at the bottom of the flange 15 whereas the notch through which itis passed for'making the connection isat the top thereof. It willv thus be seen that the nuton the pin must be turned completely over in order to connect or remove the front axle iron; the reach.

Near the forward end of the reach bar there is arranged an upwardly extend ng triangular frame 20 comprising forwardly and rearwardly extending braces 21 22, re= spectively, and a vertical intermediate tube 23. The steering shaft 24 is mounted in this tube and is itself made of tubular'metal. The upper endof said tubular shaft is slotted forming short V-shaped points or teeth 31 which mesh with )erforations 32 in the Semicircular steering bar 33. Said steering bar is connected, as usual, at its opposite ends to the front axle but unlike previous constructions it is channeled or curved in cross section as illustrated particularly in Fig.

It is thus formed wlth upper and lower rounded flanges 34 which guide and confine the teeth of the sprocket 28 which are in engagement with the perforations in said steering bar. The pivotal connection of the sprocket upon the lower end of the steering s 1 aft permits the former to dip or;tilt to conform to the angle of the steering bar where the wheel on one end of either'axle is raised above the other as when passing over an obstruction or uneven place inthc road.

An upwardly extending tube section 35 is laced at the front end of the reach for ho ding a head light, not shown. Downwardly extending tube sections 36 are arranged. at the middle of the rear axle and below the latform on the reach and under them are p aced truss rods 37 for strengthening the main frame. A truss rod 38 is also laced under the tube section 10 on the front axle. Each of the wheels 39 of the vehicle is mounted on a spindle 40having a portion 41 projecting into the end of the tuular axle and secured therein by a pin 42 passed through the axle and a notch or slot 43 in said projecting portion. The wheels are preferably mounted on ball bearings substantially as shown in Fig. 10. a

Each of the front wheels carries a fixed gear wheel 44 on the inner end of itsboxing. The driving shaft 45 is j ournaled in the steering bar .and extends entirely across the same parallel to the front axle. A gear 46 mounted near one. end of the driving'shaft meshes with a pinion 47 on an auxiliary shaft 48 j ournaled in tubular uprights 49 on the front axle. The other end of said auxiliary shaft carries a variable speed gear 50 adapted to have suitable driving connection with theshaft of the motor 51 which is preferably hung frorn'the middle of the front axle. As the connectio'n'between the mo- Saidi .disk.

"tor and the auxiliary shaft is not apart of the present invention it is deemed unneees- I sary to further describe the same;

On each end of, the driving shaft there is mounted a fixed cup shaped collar 52 provided with a projecting pin 53 at one side.

tion is cushioned. by a coiled spring 54 arranged within said collar and connected at one end thereto and at the other end to said said ratchet disk is limited-by a projecting pin 55 on said disk engaging-the pin 53 on .In the other direction'the rotation of the collar. Ratchet projections 56 on'the outer face of said disk are engaged by the adjacent lateral edges of the teeth ofa pinion 1 57 mounted on the extremity of the driving shaft and ineshing with the gear wheel 44.

These edges of the teeth of said pinion are beveled as at 58 so'as to more readily co-act with the ratchet projections on the disk. It will be understood, of course, that these ratchet projections are faced in the proper direction {for turning the pinion 57 so as to up or turn faster in going around a curvetransmit power to the gear wheels to move than the inside wheel, although both. wheels 1 will, of course, be driven by the same shaft at the same speed under normal conditions. The spring 54 takes up any jar which might be caused by the sudden starting of the vehicle and also relieves strain when the inside wheel is retarded in its rotation on a turn. Said ratchet and spring mechanism also gives greater freedom in turning or steering thevehicle because itinsures an equal pressure on both wheels of the front axle in any 1 position of said axle.

Each of the rear wheels carries a flanged l disk 59 on one end of its boxing. A brake shoe 60 is mounted partially around said disk and one end thereof is rigidly secured to an arm 61 projecting'frorn a clamp 62 fastened around the rear axle just inward of'said disk.

The other end of said shoe is fastened to a lever 63 intermediately pivoted on. said clamp and having its other end connected by a rod 64 to a foot piece 65, whereby the shoe vmay be tightened upon the rim of said disk.

Said foot piece comprises a double hanger 66 pivoted on the'rea'rwardly extending brace of the triangular frame and straddling the reach b'ar. Saidhangers are connected below the reach and thence bent upwardly tov a I position infront of and extending a little above the platform at either side of said reach. This construction permits the brakes to be applied with either foot.

Electric connections from the-motor and storage batteries (not shown) are made to a foot switch 67 also mounted at the front edge of the platform whereby the mot or' may be started or stopped by the foot. This does not form-any part of my present invention,

however, so it is thoughtto' befunn'ecessary,

5 to further describe the same.

I am aware that changes may be made in the constructions shown and-described herein without departing fromthe spirit or sacriwhich the front axle pivoted to turn in-a horizontal plane, said fork being provided.

with a rearwardly extending portion entering 1 a cavity in the endof the reach, aflange on.

said reach witha notch therein, and {anut amounted onsaid rearwardly extendin "per-' 'tion'of the fork-and having. a hook-s aped tongue adapted to pass through said notch and en age said flange.

- 2. 'r e combination, with the main frame ofa vehicle and a universally pivoted front so axle, of.a"semi-circular steerin barsecured I to thefront axle v-and'formed li e a channel V steerin bar in, cross section with upper and lower flanges, a vertical steering shaft mounted on the main frame and carrying a gear at its.

lower end which is normally arran ed in a horizontal plane and meshes with said steering bar, said gear bein guided between the flanges of said channe ed steering barpand means of connection between said gear and steering shaft which emits the former to dip and conform to t e movement of said bar on the front-axle. 3. T ecombination, with the main frame of a vehicle, and a universally pivoted front axle of a semicircular steering bar secured tothe front axle, a vertical steering shaft mounted on the main frame and carrying a gear atit's lowerend which is normally arran ed in a horizontal plane and meshes with lsai steering bar,vandmeans of connection "between said gear and-steerin shaft com prising apin passed throu h sai elongated "slot in said s aft w ereby' the former is capable of dipping-to conform to the movements of said steering bar on the front axle.

' In. testinionywhereof, I'affijr my signature,

in presence of two witnesses.

- JESSE WIS MAN DAVIS.

JAMES J; GAMrBEnL, P. J. Moons.

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